According to a report from Robert Feder, there are eight former Cubs on the shortlist to replace Keith Moreland in WGN’s booth. 720 WGN is on the "fast track" to find a replacement for Moreland to call games alongside of the Voice of the Cubs, Pat Hughes.
Feder reported WGN would like to hire the Cubs’ new color analyst by the start of the Winter Meetings on Dec. 9.
WGN compiled a list of potential candidates on Monday that includes Rick Sutcliffe, Todd Hollandsworth, Dave Otto, Kerry … [Read more...]

Over the past weeks, fans have been treated to an annual ritual, the posting of the organizational rankings by Baseball America (henceforth to be known as BA) and Baseball Prospectus. This year's rankings have generated concerns by Cubs fans as to the state of the minor leagues and the organization as a whole. To accompany the publishing of these lists, the CCO linked our article from January of this year highlighting BA's Top Ten Cubs Prospects from 2005 to present. While looking these over, I … [Read more...]

Hello again, everyone and happy Friday to you all. The Cubs' stove has been simmering for weeks now, but we have not even come close to a hard boil. However, I have a distinct feeling that is all about to change. From Sapporo to Milwaukee, baseball news now comes from all over the globe, and the news is going to start rolling in to Chicago.
So, let's get to some rambling and towards the end, look for the re-emergence of my favorite little "WTF" game.
Here we go ... … [Read more...]

It's Thursday. It's a day game. It's time to ramble. It's time to entertain. It's time to be witty, illogical, nonsensical and boring. It is something for everyone or rather, it is one thing taken differently by an interweb full of the Faithful.
So without further ado, let's get down to it, throw a lot of things out there and see if anything sticks. … [Read more...]

Game Thirty-Four: Cubs (15-18) vs. Cardinals (20-15)
Game Time - 7:05pm CDT
Coverage - TV: WGN TV, MLB Network - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 89
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Carlos Zambrano (4-1, 4.23/1.19) vs. Chris Carpenter (0-2, 4.19/1.35)
It's the first meeting of the year between the Cubs and Cardinals ... and this series will have a little extra twist to it. Not only will Albert Pujols have to answer a ton of questions about his future in St. Louis ... but a certain former … [Read more...]

Wednesday night the CCO posted that former first round pick Brett Jackson was hitting .500 in Double-A Tennessee (after Thursday's 1-for-3 performance in which he extended his hitting streak to seven games, Jackson is hitting .480 with a .563 OBP and a .720 SLG). In jest, I posted a comment on letting the "Brett Watch" begin. But upon further reflection, that idea may not be as far-fetched as some might think. … [Read more...]

Well, it what might become a habit, it is an off day, and friends and faithful of the CCO, that means it is a rambling kind of day.
So, after the pitching debacle known as Tuesday evening and all else that happened down in the juice box, let's get after it and throw out a running, ridiculous and random stream of rambling, or as some call it ... consciousness. … [Read more...]

Pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park in seven days ...
It is Super Bowl Sunday. After the NFL's biggest game a majority of the focus will turn to Major League Baseball. Pitchers and catchers report in one week, position players on February 18 with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 19 ... the first pitch of the Cubs' Cactus League schedule is three weeks from Sunday. Chicago Cubs baseball is just around the corner.
The trucks were loaded on Friday and departed for … [Read more...]

The Vine Line's annual look at the Cubs' farm system, with Brett Jackson on the cover, features twenty players in the Cubs organization to keep an eye on in the upcoming season.
The Cubs farm system has shown improvement in the last four years and the organization, as a whole, remains deep in talent. Even with the promotions of Starlin Castro, Andrew Cashner and Tyler Colvin to the big league team and sending four of the top prospects in the organization to Tampa for Matt Garza, the Cubs have … [Read more...]

Pitchers and catchers report to Fitch Park in 25 days ...
It has been a busy beginning of the week for the Chicago Cubs following the long weekend at the Hilton Chicago.
After agreeing to trade Tom Gorzelanny and his $2.1 million salary to the Washington Nationals for Michael Burgess, A.J. Morris and Graham Hicks on Monday, the Cubs announced they avoided arbitration with Matt Garza and Sean Marshall on Tuesday. The Cubs also received a commitment from Matt Szczur and exchanged arbitration … [Read more...]